Elementary School

Your article about Secret Service agents hiring prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia, during a presidential trip suggests to me the agency has poor judgment from top to bottom ("Secret Service to receive ethics training at Hopkins," April 30). It's also come to light that in the past agents have indulged in similar behavior in Argentina and El Salvador. The top brass has mandated ethics training at Johns Hopkins University for agents, hoping that such training will help them steer clear of unethical behavior.

The Anne Arundel County school board voted unanimously Wednesday to oppose the city of Annapolis' efforts to build a parking garage and mixed-use development on land adjacent to Annapolis Elementary School, echoing sentiments of some residents who have argued vehemently against the project. Superintendent Kevin Maxwell recommended the board vote against entering into a memorandum of understanding that would have allowed the city to move forward with the project, which calls for using a portion of the parking lot at Annapolis Elementary for a garage.

A second grader at Sandy Plains Elementary School in Dundalk was seriously injured on his morning walk to school Monday when he was struck by a car, according to Baltimore County officials. Emergency personnel responded to the scene near the school, located in the 8300 block of Kavanagh Road, about 8:30 a.m. and found the injured boy, who is 8 years old, according to Lt. Jay Ringgold, the spokesman. The boy was transported to the pediatric trauma center at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Ringgold said.

Church Creek Elementary School, originally scheduled to open in September but beset by repeated delays, now is not expected to open before Nov. 1, the Harford school superintendent said yesterday.Tests for toulene, an industrial solvent, had delayed groundbreaking from June until October. The site tested negative for the chemical.Rainy weather has led to more delays, said Superintendent Ray R. Keech.Workers have done some excavation at the site, but have yet to pour the concrete foundation.

Retired Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale handled questions from his audience at West Annapolis Elementary School yesterday far better than he answered questions during vice-presidential debates a year ago.Then again, these were questions from the third, fourth and fifth grade classes about his war experiences, his grandchildren and his hometown. His answers required no political posturing or rhetoric.Admiral Stockdale, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and Ross Perot's running mate in the 1992 presidential campaign, came to the school at the request of one of its parents to talk with the children about citizenship.

School system officials won't comment on the fate of five Havre de Grace Elementary School teachers scheduled for transfers, but they apparently recognize the school's internal turmoil.A mediator from outside the school system will be hired this summer to bring all sides of the controversy together, said Harford schools spokesman Donald R. Morrison.The internal turmoil spilled over earlier this month when parents learned that the veteran teachers, one with 28 years' experience, would be transferred from the school this year.

MOUNT WASHINGTON - In an effort to display its pupils' commitment to reading, Mount Washington Elementary School has published several hundred copies of an original calendar, "Mt. Washington Reads," featuring a reading- or author-related theme each month. The calendars, which sell for $7 each, include photographs of classes at the school accompanied by books or other props. Themes include black history in February; fairy tales in April; and the "Amelia Bedelia" children's series in May. Information: Julie Lenovitz or Eva Glasgow, 410-396-6354.

A burst water pipe caused flooding at West Friendship Elementary School over the weekend, preventing the school from opening yesterday. Classes were expected to resume today.The school's custodian found the burst pipe when he arrived at the school early yesterday, said Principal Leah Farmer.Water damage occurred in the school's music room, cafeteria and first-grade classroom area, she said. An estimate of the damage had not been determined.The pipe apparently burst when a heating coil stopped working over the weekend, allowing the pipe to freeze, Ms. Farmer said.

Elmer Wolfe Elementary School will have a spring fling from 10 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Saturday at the school, 115-119 N. Main St., Union Bridge.The event will start with a Maryland Day program. Students in third through fifth grades will read poems and perform skits, and the school chorus and instrumental band will provide music.School officials will make a video of the Maryland Day program to send to the governor. County Commissioners W. Benjamin Brown and Donald I. Dell, school board members Ann Ballard and Carolyn Scott, and Assistant Superintendent Gary Dunkleberger also are expected to attend.

A few years from now, Gabrielle Ellerbee will be old enough to walk to New Town Elementary School, Baltimore County's latest school construction project.Yesterday, however, the 6-week-old slept under the shade of her denim stroller, oblivious to politicians and developers attending a groundbreaking at the school site on New Town Boulevard in Owings Mills New Town."We just bought a house here in November and we wanted a good school for our children," said Cindy Ellerbee, 32, Gabrielle's mother.